Having installed the first Xeikon CX300 press in the UK late last year, Suffolk-based Abbey Labels has now added a second to ramp up its digital label printing capacity.
Abbey Labels is an existing and long-standing user of digital, first adding Xeikon’s dry toner technology to its production mix in 2013. Now the family-owned company, which operates a modern manufacturing facility in Bury St Edmunds, has completed a double investment in the latest Xeikon press model to maintain momentum in the digital print department.
The Xeikon CX300 runs at 30m/min in full colour, with a production capacity of over 50,000sqm per month in a single shift. The print quality is claimed as equivalent to gravure and offset owing to the use of an LED imaging head, which operates at 1200 x 3600dpi. A fifth print station permits single-pass opaque white or custom colours to be added to expand the application reach.
The pair of Xeikon CX300s, which replace two Xeikon CX3 presses at Abbey Labels, are part of a £1 million investment programme to expand the printer’s production capacity and accelerate productivity, agility and sustainability. The presses are to be complemented by a new finishing area designed to house three new converting machines from A B Graphic, as the company simultaneously expands its finishing and embellishment offer.
Tom Allum, chairman at Abbey Labels, explained, ‘As the most productive press with a 330mm width, not only does the Xeikon CX300 retain the highest print quality on a broad range of challenging substrates and deliver in terms of speed, it also minimises the environmental impact of label manufacturing by not emitting any harmful substances (VOCs) or generating water pollution, and by using only a minimal amount of electricity.
‘The speed and automation on the CX300 delivers 25% more efficiency compared to our existing Xeikon CX3s, allowing us to operate the business in a very agile and responsive manner. We have added 50% more capacity in less than a year, whilst retaining a very similar footprint and the same operators, so the implementation has been very smooth.’
He continued, ‘By being the most food-safe digital print technology on the market with an output that is compatible with existing recycling processes, it also gives our customers the reassurance that they are choosing the most food compliant and environmentally friendly production method for their labels.’
From Xeikon’s perspective, ‘The two Xeikon CX300 presses with next-generation Cheetah 2.0 technology will give Abbey Labels the boost in capacity needed to take its business to the next level and continue to deliver high-quality labels at speed,’ according to Filip Weymans, the digital press manufacturer’s vice president of marketing.
James Thomas, Xeikon’s UK sales manager for labels and packaging, added, ‘Abbey Labels is a progressive, growing business and Xeikon is proud to be its partner. It’s great to be supporting the company with its investment decisions and play a part in the company’s future success.’
